SALT LAKE CITY - On the heels of a one-sided overtime period that the San Antonio Spurs used to claim their third straight win, 117-111, over the Utah Jazz at Delta Center, Mitch Johnson took the podium and explained that the team had his back on a late coaching error.
About a minute later, the Spurs' coach did the same for backup center Luke Kornet.
"The four guys that are out there with Luke need to be better," Johnson said, asked about Kornet's early-season struggles and how the Spurs can get him going. "Sometimes, the Luke thing gets so exasperated because (the narrative) is Luke vs. Victor (Wembanyama)."
Through five games this season, the center is averaging 2.4 points and 3.6 rebounds on 36.4 percent shooting from the field, compared to 6.5 points and 6.1 rebounds on 64.3 percent shooting across 68 appearances last season. Kornet also holds a team-worst minus-43 plus-minus rating, 31 points worse than the next-lowest player on the roster.
Oct 27, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) shoots over San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet (7) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Internally, the Spurs don't view a comparison between Wembanyama, who has a case for league MVP this season, and Kornet, who is entering the second year of a four-year contract in San Antonio, as particularly fair. Wembanyama didn't give the thought much credence.
"I don't understand the point," Wembanyama said. "When we go out there, we're a system. No matter the lineup that's playing, it's a system. If it's one person's fault, of course we're going to hold them accountable. But we've seen what works. We've seen what doesn't."
He continued: "I repeat myself: I don't think it's an interesting comparison at all."
Still, Kornet finished Wednesday night's contest with one point and six rebounds on 0-for-2 shooting from the field in 14 minutes, registering a team-low minus-8 in the process.
Despite its overtime collapse, the Jazz managed to keep pace with the Spurs through regulation because of its rebounding and bench scoring disparity. Midway through the second quarter, Utah had a 28-21 edge over San Antonio on the boards, including eight offensive rebounds. Its bench finished the night plus-20 in scoring.
"Defense takes all five people," Keldon Johnson said, echoing his coach. "Vic is a tremendous, tremendous defender. Luke is a really, really good defender. But if we don't help Luke out, he can't do it by himself ... we - as in the bench unit - can't expect Luke to just bail us out."
Perhaps, then, the only warranted comparison between Kornet and Wembanyama is the impact each has on the other four players they share the court with. The Spurs have been vocal for years about the luxury it is having Wembanyama lurking in the paint on defense.
If San Antonio's bench is affording Kornet the same grace, results will vary greatly.
"If it's the same four guys that are out there with both (players), it's not just a Luke thing," Mitch Johnson reiterated. "I think that means they've got to be better, as well."
Oct 14, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson looks over in the second half against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Keldon Johnson is part of the Kornet-anchored bench unit that has seen the most time on the floor this season. In 10.4 minutes across four games, a five-man lineup including Kornet, Johnson, De'Aaron Fox, Carter Bryant and Julian Champagnie has struggled considerably.
Shooting 8-for-17 from the field combined, that group has been outscored by 17 points with a 13-percent turnover rate and a minus-85 net rating. Kornet cannot be entirely to blame for poor results, but he isn't exempt from criticism as the Spurs' primary backup center.
An obvious question regarding the personnel riding the end of the bench will only become louder if Kornet's struggles continue; Tarris Reed Jr. has a knack for rebounding and displays the kind of effort the Spurs look for in the short stints he's received, mostly in garbage time.
"It's amazing, right?" Mitch Johnson said of Reed after the Spurs' 122-106 win over the Dallas Mavericks. "Tarris wasn't out there shooting step-back, between-the-leg 3s. He was just playing his ass off ... being physical ... it's contagious when you play the right way."
Natural concerns about Reed's status as a rookie may be contributing to his lack of playing time to begin early. That, and the Spurs' continued stance that Kornet can be unlocked with better overall bench play. Two things can be true at the same time.
"He'll make good plays," Keldon Johnson said. "He blocks shots. But I think it's unfair to say that ... it just all falls on Luke. He can't put the fire out every time."
The Spurs aren't absolving Kornet of responsibility for his early struggles.
But five games into the season, they're equally unwilling to place the burden of fixing their bench unit solely on his shoulders. For now, that means trusting the veteran to find his footing while the players around him work to make his job easier, even on the margins.
"We've got to continue to get better," Johnson began, "so that he can thrive in his role."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/spurs/onsi as Why Spurs Believe Luke Kornet's Early-Season Struggles Are 'Not Just a Luke Thing' .
